Chapter Summaries

Lu Ren forced Changxing to explain the Seeking Truth Realm and how cultivators could grow stronger within it. He learned that Human Immortals still faced grave dangers there, while the Earth Immortal Dao Fruit had never been attained, even during the Great Wilderness Era.

• As Xu Fu and the others watched Lu Ren seal off an area, Ao Li secretly peered inside while the others looked away.
• Lu Ren threatened Changxing with an unwanted spiritual union until she agreed to answer his questions about the Seeking Truth Realm.
• Changxing explained that reaching the Seeking Truth Realm required an essential leap in cultivation, physique, and mind, and that True Qi had to be refined into True Essence to interact with its strange entities.
• Changxing told Lu Ren that withstanding True Wind in the Seeking Truth Realm could fuse it with body and spirit and trigger a Limit Breaker.
• Changxing revealed that spiritual treasures improved survival in the Seeking Truth Realm, but even Human Immortals could not roam freely there.
• Changxing said that no one had attained the Earth Immortal Dao Fruit, even during the Great Wilderness Era, and wondered whether the world might have been different if someone had.

Lu Ren questioned Changxing about cultivation and the Inner World before stepping onto the Primordial Path. As he began examining the dangerous road between reality and illusion, the others were left behind, reflecting on how easily he had reached it.

• Lu Ren asked Changxing about the greatest talent of her era, resistance to True Wind, the next cultivation stage, and the path within the Inner World.
• Changxing explained that each person's Inner World path differed and warned Lu Ren to explore his own carefully.
• After Lu Ren removed the barrier, Xu Fu and Kong Qiu wrestled while the others wondered what he and Changxing had discussed.
• Lu Ren considered using the Reality Tathagata Sutra to control the others, then entered the Primordial Path and vanished from their sight.
• Xu Fu, Kong Qiu, Chen Xuzi, and Subhuti lamented Lu Ren's effortless progress as Changxing watched them coldly.
• A system prompt described the Primordial Path as a road between reality and illusion, and Lu Ren cautiously examined its surroundings.

Lu Ren was drawn into a ruined world whose origin had been destroyed, where the world itself rejected him and an external demon might be waiting. He killed and examined three undead Contaminated Soldiers, then concluded their unnatural survival came from mutated cells and their souls were already warped.

• Lu Ren realized he had likely been pulled into a doomed world by an external demon waiting on the Primordial Path.
• Lu Ren explored toward a ruined castle, picked up a steel longsword, and passed through a field of old skeletons and broken weapons.
• Three undead Contaminated Soldiers attacked Lu Ren, and he killed them with precise sword strikes.
• Lu Ren dismantled the soldiers and studied their bodies, finding their cells had mutated and their souls had been completely warped.

Lu Ren entered the ruined castle in El Land and met Klea, a messenger of the goddess El who asked him to save the world. He refused, but agreed to consider a bargain for a complete cultivation system if he first dealt with the castle’s deranged lord.

• Lu Ren killed wandering steel-armored soldiers, cleansed their armor with restrained Buddhist light, and wore it as he headed for the castle.
• Lu Ren found the Gore Greatsword, but shattered it with his strength and returned to his previous sword.
• Klea revealed herself at the castle gates and told Lu Ren that the goddess El had foretold a foreign living person would end the disaster in El Land.
• Lu Ren refused to save the world, then asked Klea for a complete cultivation system in exchange for his help.
• Klea offered the knowledge if Lu Ren cleared the castle’s deranged lord, and tried to entice him as he considered her request.

Lu Ren accepted Klea’s Iron-Cast Scripture and recognized it as the Past Maitreya True Scripture, realizing that his cultivation of the Reality Tathagata Sutra and Future Buddha True Scripture might have drawn him into El Land. He entered the ruined fortress to investigate its meditation system and prepare to confront the deranged lord.

• Lu Ren refused to kill the deranged lord without an incentive, so Klea offered to teach him a basic Meditation Technique and gave him the Iron-Cast Scripture.
• Klea explained that the Iron-Cast Scripture was the lowest tier of El Land’s cultivation sequence, below the Silver Scripture and Golden Scripture.
• Lu Ren recognized the book’s characters as the Past Maitreya True Scripture and learned that it had been placed on the shattered ring before Goddess El’s time.
• Lu Ren agreed to return after killing the deranged lord, while Klea hoped he could save El Land and promised the fortress could forge weapons for him.
• Lu Ren entered the ruined fortress studying the Meditation Technique and considered how the Past, present, and future scriptures might have brought him to this world.

Lu Ren fought his way through Furnace Castle and killed its lord, Stoffen, whose pursuit of immortality had left him contaminated and mindless. After examining Stoffen and claiming his greatsword, Lu Ren sensed the weapon might hold a strange power.

• Lu Ren reached Furnace Castle’s central hall after cutting down the creatures and soldiers he encountered.
• Stoffen attacked Lu Ren, who evaded his blows and killed him with precise swordsmanship.
• Lu Ren examined Stoffen and learned that his modified cells slowed aging while active power rapidly consumed his lifespan.
• Lu Ren found Stoffen’s three-hundred-jin greatsword unsuited to him but took it after the system hinted at its wondrous power.

Lu Ren took Stoffen’s corrupted Lord’s Greatsword from Furnace Castle and learned that Goddess El and the Bible were in the Ring’s central palace. He ignored Klea’s convoluted map and flew toward the Ring, where the pressure of heaven and earth increased around him.

• Lu Ren swung the Lord’s Greatsword and blasted a hole through a wall, then used the system to learn that undeath had corrupted its former light.
• Lu Ren left Furnace Castle carrying the greatsword, and Klea recognized it as Stoffen’s sword.
• Klea told Lu Ren that Goddess El was trapped in the Ring and said the Bible was in its central palace, then gave him a map.
• Lu Ren discarded the map as too convoluted and launched himself toward the Ring using his strength and wings.
• Lu Ren spread his limbs in flight and felt the pressure of heaven and earth around him rise another level.

Lu Ren reached the central palace on The Ring and found the Past Maitreya True Scripture, realizing it completed the three scriptures he cultivated. As he took it despite El’s warning, he met the dying goddess bound to a cross.

• Lu Ren crossed The Ring, cutting through its monsters as he made his way to the central palace.
• Lu Ren sensed the Past Maitreya True Scripture inside and pulled open the palace doors after discovering they opened outward.
• Lu Ren recognized the scripture as the authentic original and realized that cultivating all three scriptures together could complete his cultivation.
• El warned Lu Ren not to touch the scripture, but Lu Ren grasped it anyway.
• Lu Ren saw El bound to a cross, her body fading and her life nearly spent.

Lu Ren obtained the Past Maitreya True Scripture and learned that Outer Gods had helped bring about El Land’s collapse. After he left El behind, she freed herself and pursued him, stopping him as he was about to leave The Ring.

• Lu Ren received the Past Maitreya True Scripture, whose teachings promised immortality and were connected to the other scriptures he cultivated.
• El told Lu Ren that Outer Gods had caused El Land to collapse and that she had been immobilized as punishment for a choice that led to countless deaths.
• Lu Ren refused to save El, said farewell, and left the temple with the scripture.
• After Lu Ren disappeared from sight, El declared that she would seek hope herself and broke free from her chains and nails.
• El restored her damaged body, formed golden armor and a sword, and raced after Lu Ren.
• As Lu Ren was about to leave The Ring, he stopped and watched El’s golden streak approach.

Lu Ren fought El over the Bible and learned that she had been unable to read the scripture she guarded. He challenged her to fight for it, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Lu Ren fought El with the Lord's Greatsword, and El's golden sword light nearly split the weapon and drove him back.
• El asked where supernatural power was displayed most strongly, then demanded that Lu Ren give her the Bible.
• El explained that she could not touch the Bible and that only No Returnees like Lu Ren could read it.
• Lu Ren told El that Shakya had used her and the others as guardians, and warned that she would face consequences if she tried to read the scripture.
• El said she would seek her own survival, and Lu Ren challenged her to fight for the Bible.

Lu Ren followed El into the Seeking Truth Realm, where two Outer Gods threatened to overwhelm their souls. He killed El, but her death extinguished the world’s remaining hope and set it on a path to destruction.

• El followed Lu Ren into the Seeking Truth Realm and warned him that the Outer Gods would trap anyone they marked.
• Lu Ren’s system removed the Outer Gods’ marks, but their attention and strange sounds nearly collapsed his Spirit Soul and left El howling in pain.
• Lu Ren released his Ninth Stage of Good Wisdom Bodhisattva Dharma Appearance, drawing the Outer Gods’ eyes and charging at El.
• El’s sword severed two of Lu Ren’s left arms, but he continued attacking and killed her within seconds.
• The system reported that El’s death had extinguished the world’s hope and vitality, and Lu Ren concluded that Shakya had arranged for the ruined world to be destroyed.

Lu Ren escaped the Seeking Truth Realm and returned to the Moon Palace, where he discovered the lunar base had been evacuated and learned that Earth had been invaded by creatures from other realms. After hearing that Earth’s spiritual energy was reviving and that Zhang Tongxuan had destroyed many ancient mythological ruins, Lu Ren entered the Seeking Truth Realm again and saw the moon’s true appearance.

• Lu Ren used the system’s dimensional anchor to escape the Seeking Truth Realm before the Outer Gods’ tentacles descended.
• Lu Ren returned to the Moon Palace, regenerated his severed arms, and restored his Bodhisattva Dharma Appearance.
• Lu Ren found the lunar base abandoned and contacted the ground aerospace command center, learning that three years had passed and a spacecraft carrying thirty thousand evacuees was heading to Mars.
• The command center told Lu Ren that creatures from other realms had invaded Earth about a month earlier and that Zhang Tongxuan had destroyed many ancient mythological ruins.
• Lu Ren left the lunar base, looked toward Earth, and entered the Seeking Truth Realm to inspect the moon’s true appearance.

Lu Ren explored the ruined Moon Palace and questioned Changxing about the Seeking Truth Realm, the Great Wilderness Era, and the Supreme One. After learning that native true gods could threaten Earth and that prolonged exposure to the realm could prevent a return, he headed toward the palace’s main hall, where furtive creatures watched him.

• Lu Ren surveyed the dead golden tree and ruined Moon Palace, then confirmed that Celestial Master Zhang Tongxuan was still attacking the buried Mythological Figures on Earth.
• Changxing explained that the Seeking Truth Realm was a negative-energy world intertwined with the real world, and that cultivation had developed to let people perceive it.
• Changxing said Supreme One had first entered the Seeking Truth Realm after attaining the Dao Fruit and had later left Earth to pursue the universe’s ultimate secret.
• Changxing identified the enormous beings in the Seeking Truth Realm as native true gods that could enter the real world and had once threatened Earth.
• Lu Ren considered how the Moon Palace might relate to Chang'e and the myths of the modern world, then walked toward the palace’s most magnificent building.
• Lu Ren reached the partly collapsed main hall as furtive creatures watched him from the shadows.

Lu Ren explored an ancient palace chamber and found wooden dolls depicting figures from Chinese mythology, leading him to suspect that those figures had truly existed. He left the chamber’s history unresolved and continued exploring.

• Lu Ren cleared debris from the palace and discovered that the chamber had air and a preserved bedchamber beyond the entrance.
• Lu Ren examined the room’s furnishings and picked up a finely carved wooden doll of a palace-robed woman.
• Xu Fu, Kong Qiu, Subhuti, and Chen Xuzi commented on the doll, prompting Changxing to threaten them into silence.
• Lu Ren noticed dolls resembling Nezha and possibly Wu Gang, and concluded that many figures from Chinese mythology might have been real.
• Lu Ren examined the bronze mirror and admired his own reflection.

Lu Ren encountered a strange force in a ruined palace and escaped its attack by using the Past Maitreya True Scripture. Changxing identified the force as Nether Energy, which could drag its victims into the Netherworld, and Lu Ren left after receiving notice that he had lost an opportunity to enter the Seeking Truth Inner Aspect.

• Lu Ren found rouge and powder in a vanity, then spotted a flash of white in its bronze mirror.
• Lu Ren tore apart the vanity, releasing black qi from the mirror, but the qi passed through his Buddhist defenses and entered his body.
• Lu Ren used the Past Maitreya True Scripture to force the black qi out and blasted through a wall to escape the palace.
• Subhuti realized Lu Ren had mastered the Past Maitreya True Scripture in just over ten hours and reacted to his possession of Buddhism's three supreme true scriptures.
• Changxing identified the black qi as Nether Energy and explained that it could contaminate Lu Ren and drag him into the Netherworld.
• Lu Ren withdrew from the palace with the bronze mirror, and a notice said he had lost one opportunity to enter the Seeking Truth Inner Aspect.

Lu Ren awakened the Mirror of Revealing and discovered the damaged Spirit Soul of Chang'e inside it. After Chang'e tried to seize his body, he drew her into his Inner World, where its inhabitants confronted her.

• Lu Ren infused the bronze mirror with True Qi, awakened the Mirror of Revealing, and bonded with it.
• The Mirror of Revealing showed Lu Ren's Bodhisattva Dharma manifestation before Chang'e's Spirit Soul attacked him.
• The system shielded Lu Ren from Chang'e's possession attempt, and he deliberately drew her into his Inner World.
• Chang'e was slammed into the ground by the Inner World's gravity and emerged to find Subhuti and the others there.
• Kong Qiu and Chen Xuzi attributed Chang'e's erratic behavior to her damaged Spirit Soul, while Xu Fu remarked on her appearance and Subhuti questioned his increasingly perverse personality.

Lu Ren subdued the imprisoned Chang'e and discovered that she had split off a secondary soul to protect her main consciousness from the erosion of time. After finding her sealed consciousness in her Inner World, he decided to awaken her, believing she could not threaten him inside his own Inner World.

• Chang'e attacked Xu Fu, but Lu Ren pinned her to the ground with his power.
• Lu Ren warned the ancient figures that their lives depended on his permission and punished Xu Fu for mocking Chang'e.
• When Chang'e continued screaming, Lu Ren beat her until she was near death and entered her unguarded mind.
• Lu Ren found Chang'e's sealed consciousness lying in white robes inside her Inner World and learned that she had once condensed a Human Immortal Dao Fruit.
• Lu Ren considered awakening Chang'e and decided it was the most beneficial choice because she was trapped within his Inner World.

Lu Ren invaded Chang'e's Inner World and overpowered her, then tried to persuade her to reveal what happened to the ancient Immortal Gods. Chang'e refused until Lu Ren attacked again, leaving her to call for him to wait and use spells to slow him down.

• Lu Ren punched Chang'e awake and pretended to be her husband, but she recognized him and attacked.
• Lu Ren struck Chang'e into the ground and used an alien force to immobilize her after opening her Inner World.
• Chang'e realized Lu Ren had seized the initiative and asked what he wanted from her.
• Lu Ren proposed a deal, then mocked Chang'e and demanded to know where the Immortal Gods had gone and what had happened.
• Chang'e told Lu Ren to leave her Inner World, so he charged at her again.
• Chang'e shouted for Lu Ren to wait and used immobilizing spells to slow him down.

Lu Ren defeated Chang'e inside her Inner World, then withdrew his divine sense and revealed that she had awakened within his own Inner World among his companions. After seeing the unusual figures gathered there, Chang'e agreed to answer his question about why the immortals of the Heavenly Realm had vanished.

• Lu Ren used a spiritual attack to freeze Chang'e briefly and punched her, badly injuring her in her Inner World.
• Lu Ren withdrew his divine sense and left Chang'e's Inner World, allowing her to begin repairing it.
• Chang'e awoke in Lu Ren's Inner World and believed she had gained the upper hand, only to find herself surrounded by Lu Ren's companions.
• Chang'e recognized Changxing's Human Immortal Dao Fruit and reacted with horror to Ao Li's presence.
• Lu Ren asked Chang'e what had caused the immortal gods of the Heavenly Realm to vanish.

Lu Ren questioned Chang'e about the returning immortals and gods as Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy revived, while learning that ancient factions had sacrificed humans and hidden themselves during past declines. Chang'e revealed how immortals survived the loss of spiritual energy, and Lu Ren asked what she knew about the Heavenly Court ruins.

• Lu Ren told Chang'e that humanity would welcome peaceful immortals but use modern weapons against hostile ones, and he described how the Security Administration Bureau and Zhang Tongxuan had eliminated weak beings emerging from tombs.
• Lu Ren condemned the ancient immortals and gods for sacrificing humans, while Chang'e discovered that she was trapped as a damaged soul in Lu Ren's Inner World and that the Mirror of Revealing had abandoned her.
• Chang'e explained that immortals had fled into space or entered slumber when mythic power dissipated, hoping Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy would return.
• Lu Ren compared the decline to Changxi's Great Wilderness Era, and Chang'e was shocked to learn Changxi came from that era.
• Lu Ren asked Chang'e about the Heavenly Court after the Security Administration Bureau detected a hidden spatial realm believed to contain its ruins.